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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

"Look alive sunshine!" That's always a good way to wake up, even it if means waking up in a desolate landscape with packs of marauders roaming and looking for death. It also doesn't help if you're a girl with a cat in that world, fighting for food and living off the memory of a reputation. That's The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #1 from Dark Horse.

The first issue is written by Gerard Way and Shaun Simon, with art by Becky Cloonan, colors by Dan Jackson and letters by Nate Piekos of Blambot.
Years ago, the Killjoys fought against the tyrannical mega-corporation Better Living Industries, costing them their lives, save for one—the mysterious Girl. Today, the followers of the original Killjoys languish in the Desert while BLI systematically strips citizens of their individuality. As the fight for freedom fades, it’s left to the Girl to take up the mantle and bring down the fearsome BLI or else join the mindless ranks of Bat City!

Post-apocalyptic stories never seem to get old, especially when Way and Simon infuse them with stories such as that in The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. There's an abundance of desolation in that world, despite the rebellious nature of some pining for a better way of life. Food is a commodity traded for and inhabitants of the world are forced to deal with Draculoids, starvation and a new way of life. What's especially interesting is the girl.

She's pitched as a link to the old way of life. That is, she ran with the Killjoys and that carries with it some weight, even in the bombed-out world she's living in now. What exactly weight that carries remains to be seen, but it's clear that the Killjoys achieved cult-like status, inspiring followers the world over. The story is largely told from her perspective and it works really well that way, providing something of an innocence to the guilt of the new world.

Cloonan's art doesn't really need any introduction, as it's just really good. Characters pop off the page and manage to capture the emotion of the moment very well in their face and body expressions. She pays a lot of attention to the world they inhabit, even if it is just a lot of desert and rocks. There are some great action panels with bullets flying and the panels showing the Draculoid effects give the reader a good sense of what exactly everyone has to deal with on a daily basis.

There's a lot of fun stuff happening in The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #1. It's poised to be a series that won't pull any punches and wants readers to know that life isn't happy. The girl is something of a hero and is trying to survive, but things aren't going to get any easier. The Fabulous Killjoys are legends in their own right and cast a large shadow over the new world, which pretty easy considering it's all sun and desolation. The series is shaping up to be very interesting and exciting.

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #1 is in stores today with interiors below.